February 25, 2009 1:47 PM PST

Muglia: Open source to permeate Microsoft

by Matt Asay
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Open-source entrepreneurs like Sun Microsystems' Zack Urlocker and Cloudera's Mike Olson were on parade on Wednesday at the Stanford Accel Symposium, but the biggest open-source announcement of all came from Bob Muglia, president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business.

Bob Muglia

Alfresco CTO John Newton was twittering the event and posted these comments from Bob Muglia's presentation:

At some point, almost all our product(s) will have open source in (them).

If MySQL (or) Linux do a better job for you, of course you should use those products.

The reality is that more and more of Microsoft's products already do include open-source software (including MSN Messenger and Visual Studio), but it's still refreshing to hear Microsoft acknowledge what most enterprise software companies--including proprietary software companies with much to lose from open source--already know: open source is mainstream.

In 2006, Gartner talked about the importance of code reuse, a phenomenon perfectly suited for open source. Microsoft, by acknowledging that it would rather borrow some open-source code than reinvent every software wheel, is simply being pragmatic.

Open source is not the "cancer" that Microsoft used to call it. It's just a great, efficient way to develop and distribute software.

Welcome to reality, Microsoft. We've been patiently waiting for you to arrive.


Follow me on Twitter at mjasay.

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay.
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by CDubber February 25, 2009 2:46 PM PST
"Open source to permeate Microsoft"

Riiiight.

/rolls eyes
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by gigo1000 February 25, 2009 2:50 PM PST
"Welcome to reality, Microsoft. We've been patiently waiting for you to arrive."

Microsoft had to be dragged, kicking and screaming all the way.
by Matt Asay February 25, 2009 3:12 PM PST
Well, if it weren't already underway, I'd agree.
by Super2online February 25, 2009 4:19 PM PST
Yes, comma, however- notice that very little of this software is given away for free as it is in the open source community. Which means we get to keep our jobs for a little while longer!
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by odubtaig February 26, 2009 6:26 AM PST
Yes, vendor lock-in will ensure that many 'developers' can continue to kick back while the cash rolls in for a while yet before they actually have to work for a living.
by Sumatra-Bosch February 25, 2009 4:33 PM PST
They're learning enough to teach the lawyers what they need to know to sue someone or, in the end, everyone.
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by ppgreat February 25, 2009 5:41 PM PST
Which is why they're suing Tom Tom, right?
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by kojacked February 25, 2009 7:51 PM PST
Great! They've arrived! Now everyone in the open source community can stop their ********. Oh wait...
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by odubtaig February 26, 2009 6:23 AM PST
Great! They've arrived! Now all the MS fanboys can stop equating F/OSS with theft, communism, cancer and the plague then getting pissy when it's not well received. Oh wait...
by jonniesavell February 25, 2009 8:06 PM PST
It sounds as if they would like to start using open source software in the offerings for which they charge. Use is not the same as contribution, however. Microsoft's use of open source software cannot be construed as a gift to anyone.

Muglia's comments sound as though they have been crafted to garner attention. Microsoft is trying to convince people that it understands this mysterious thing. The obvious response is "who cares?".
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About The Open Road

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to the Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is general manager of the Americas division and vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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